Justin Verlander talks with Max Scherzer on Thursday after pitching the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins.AP File Photo

MIAMI -- The Detroit Tigers made history this weekend.

With 13 combined strikeouts Sunday, the Tigers finished the regular season with 1,428 strikeouts, which officially established the major league record for strikeouts in a single season.

The Tigers broke the major league record of 1,404 previously held by the 2003 Chicago Cubs in the first inning Saturday when Anibal Sanchez struck out the first batter he faced.

It's not hard to figure out how the Tigers broke the 10-year-old record. Their starting rotation boasts three pitchers (Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Sanchez) who have each struck out 200-plus batters.

"Any time you start talking about major league history, you're doing something right," Scherzer said. "I'm just proud that it's a team record."

They joined the 1969 Astros and 1967 Twins as the only teams in major league history to have three pitchers with 200-plus strikeouts in a single season.

"We all had a hand in it," Scherzer said, "and as a group, we did something special."

The team also received a significant boost from Rick Porcello, who struck out 35 more batters this year than the year before. He finished with a career-high 142 punchouts.

The Tigers entered Saturday sharing the mark after six strikeouts among four different pitchers Friday. Sanchez struck out eight Saturday to give him 202 total strikeouts.

Justin Verlander struck out 10 in six scoreless innings Sunday in his final tuneup for the playoffs. He finished with 217 strikeouts and is now three strikeouts shy of matching Tommy Bridges for fourth on the Tigers' all-time list with 1,674 career strikeouts.